Top 10 Reasons You Should Own a Pet

Owning a furry companion can have many positive effects on your life. Not only do you get to live with a friend, but there are also a some hidden benefits to keeping a pet in your home. Here are ten reasons why having a pet is great for your mind, body and soul.

1. They help you form relationships

An often overlooked side effect of having a pet is that you’ll always have something to talk about with other people. Having a pet allows you to connect with other animal lovers. Even if you and the person you’re talking to can’t agree on anything else, you can at least find common ground regarding Fido. The two of you might even be able to exchange advice about the best pet foods and training techniques.

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2. They improve your health

Having a pet can help you reach your health-related goals. Whether it’s walking your dog or getting some cardio in by scrubbing away those unavoidable pet stains, keeping up with your furry friend will ensure you get some daily exercise.

3. They help fight off allergies

This one might seem totally backwards, but it’s true. Despite the television commercials where pet owners break out into uncontrollable sneezing any time their cat or dog walks in the room, pets can actually help combat allergies. Children who are exposed to pet dander or any other animal allergens typically develop stronger immune systems. Even an adult’s immune system will become stronger after having been exposed to animal allergens for a certain period, and become capable of resisting other irritants.

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4. They increase bone and heart strength

These are some of the additional health perks that come with having a pet: quicker recovery from heart issues, lowered blood pressure and even an overall lower possibility of heart attacks. Taking your dog (or cat) for a daily walk in the sunshine can improve your bone strength through exposure to vitamin D.

5. They elevate your mood

Let’s face it, there’s going to be a day when going outside seems like an impossible feat. So what’s better than having a live-in comfort provider? Studies have shown that having pets available for affection and attention can help boost your mood.

6. They are great for all ages

Children exposed to pets have reduced chances of developing breathing conditions and skin disorders, such as asthma and eczema. The process is similar to how children can develop resistances to certain allergens. But it’s not just kids that benefit. Having a pet around can make the elderly feel less lonely. And for those suffering through Alzheimer’s, a pet’s warm presence can lead to fewer anxiety attacks.

7. They make excellent aids for medical support groups

Groups like Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) or Pet Facilitated-Therapy provide pets to hospital patients in order to elevate moods, thereby aiding in the recovery process.

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8. They might not be able to speak, but they hear you loud and clear

Obviously, our pets don’t speak our languages, but they are quite aware of their owners’ emotional needs. Many people find that having a close bond with their pet provides them with an added sense of purpose, and centers them emotionally.

9. They act as warning signals for serious health conditions

One thing many pet owners don’t know is that dogs can recognize the warning signs of a handful of diseases. Some dogs can detect when a person is about to have an epileptic seizure. Others can smell cancers in their owners. Still, other dogs have even been taught to notice signs of Parkinson’s disease or diabetes, and alert their owners accordingly.

10. They provide unconditional love and friendship

One of the best perks of pet ownership is having a warm companion to come home to day after day. You will always have a walking buddy or snuggle buddy on hand when you need them.

5 Exercises To Improve Intimacy and Create a Better Relationship

Making love can be simultaneously the most pleasurable and the most stressful experience that we share with another human being. It is a natural conclusion of the ritual of intimacy we engage in with a person we find attractive on both a physical and psychological level. Yet, we are far removed from our animalistic roots, and that which was once a matter of instinct has become somewhat complex. This is a good thing; we have grown as a society, and there are many factors involved when it comes to the relationship between sexual partners. However, we have also lost a great deal of the physical prowess our primitive ancestors had.

They engaged in a huge amount of physical activities daily — activities that ensured their cardiovascular system and muscles were in great shape, which allowed them to have healthy libidos, strong erections, and the muscular strength, limberness and endurance to maintain different positions for a long time without getting exhausted. Luckily, we can regain some of these animalistic traits with the right kind of training. Here are some essential exercises that will help improve your relationship, but making you more confident in intimate settings, which means that you’ll have more satisfying intercourse.

1. Cardio for Stamina

If you’re out of shape, the first thing you’ll notice during intercourse is that you start to breathe heavily, sweat profusely and tire easily. This means you’ll have to shift your posture frequently and limit yourself to a few positions you feel comfortable with or significantly slow down the pace. A high BMI has also been linked to potential problems with erectile dysfunction. Cardiovascular exercises like running, jumping rope, swimming and cycling will build up your aerobic stamina and enable you to perform longer before becoming fatigued, thus having better intercourse. They’ll also help manage your weight, possibly helping performance.

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Running – 10-20 minutes a day (1-3 miles a day is more than enough)

Jumping rope – 5-20 minutes a day

Swimming – 30 minutes a day

Cycling – 30 minutes a day

The time in minutes denotes time spent actively performing the exercise, and you need to factor in a bit more time for warming up before and cooling down after the exercises.

These exercises can be performed every day or every other day, and the goal is to work on both endurance and speed. Don’t just go at a snail’s pace; constantly try to improve your time or add some mileage.

2. Strength-Training for Your Lower Body and Core

The next thing you’ll need to focus on is improving both the strength and muscular endurance of the hip flexors, abdominals and spinal erectors. These are the muscles engaged in thrusting and circular motions, and they also stabilize your body in a number of different positions. The legs also play an important role, particularly in standing and kneeling positions. Here are a few exercises that will help you strengthen up this area:

Heavy barbell squats – set up at a power rack at the gym and make sure you use proper form and weights that you can lift 3-8 times. Do this exercise before anything else in the gym for 4-5 sets to get big and powerful legs, as well as tighten up the muscles of the core. This is useful for both men and women, particularly if you enjoy the woman-on-top positions and standing positions. You can do hack squats on the machine if your gym lacks a power rack, but you won’t get the core-strengthening benefits

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Zercher squats – this type of squat is a perfect way for guys to strengthen their body for standing positions where the woman is lifted off the ground. Build up a foundation of strength first, and then use lighter weights and go for 10-12 repetitions to focus on muscle endurance.

Glute bridge – this exercise is great for working the glutes and hip thrusters, and should be done for ultra-high reps —up to 100 — to increase muscle endurance. Once you become stronger in this movement, you can upgrade to the barbell glute bridge and keep the reps high — around 10 to 15.

Hyperextensions – excellent for strengthening the spinal erectors, this exercise (or a variation of it) may be done in most gyms and even at home. Do 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions at the end of your workout.

Ab wheel rollout – this is a great exercise for strengthening the abs, and requires only a piece of inexpensive equipment. It will help you stay stable and hold positions longer without getting tired during intercourse. Do three sets of this workout for as many repetitions as you can.

Cross body crunch – this exercise improves your ability to perform explosive twisting motions, particularly good for improving your stamina in the spoon position where you’e lying on your side. Do 2 to 3 sets of this exercise at the end of your workout.

Incorporate these exercises into your routine 2 to 3 times a week.

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3. Upper-Body Strength Training

Upper-body strength plays an important role in many popular sex positions where the arms are used to provide a stable base or hold onto the partner. These including missionary, doggy style, the stand and carry (with the woman holding onto the man’s neck) and others. Use these simple exercises to improve upper body strength and endurance:

Plank – while bench pressing is great for building a big chest, you will find yourself in need of static strength, muscle endurance and a strong core. This exercise is a great way to increase the amount of time you are able to hold positions that require you to support yourself with your arms. For added difficulty, straighten out your arms like at the top of a pushup and hold as long as you can.

Close pushups – a pushup variation that focuses on triceps, which are the first to give out during a prolonged missionary or similar position. Go for very high reps, 20 t0 50, to work on muscle endurance.

Chin-ups – A great upper back and biceps builder, this exercise will also target the core if you try to be as straight as possible when lifting yourself up. You can jump to help make things easier, or just hold as long as you can if you aren’t strong enough to perform a single chin up. Do 3 to 4 sets for as many reps as you can.

These exercises, done about three times a week, will help you develop a strong upper body that can keep going and hold you up for extended periods of time.

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4. Pelvic-Floor Exercises

You don’t have to perform these at the gym, although you could do them after your workout without anyone even noticing. The idea behind Kegel exercises is to improve blood flow to the sex organs and strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor in both men and women. By locating these muscles and tightening and relaxing them for intervals of 5 seconds for 10 to 15 repetitions at a time, several times a day, you can improve pleasure and performance during sex. Women can tighten their vaginal walls for increased pleasure to both them and their partner, while men can delay ejaculation by tightening these muscles.

5. Flexibility Moves for Legs and Hips

If you want to avoid getting cramps — or even worse, pulling a muscle during intercourse — you should do a few simple stretches every day. The more limber you are, the more comfortable you’ll be with more exotic poses. Here are a few simple stretches to improve hip and leg flexibility:

Take a few minutes to warm up with some light running or jumping jacks before stretching, and spend some 10 minutes on these stretches. You can do them in the morning and at night, or shortly before intercourse.

With just a few hours a week devoted to exercise, you can improve your relationship significantly. If you focus on these exercises, over time, you just might become dynamite in bed.